


Can Heroes save Themselves?

by Pastel_Deku



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Needs Help, Adrien Agreste Needs a Hug, Anorexia, Depression, Eating Disorders, F/M, Gabriel Agreste somewhat tries, Hot Mess Adrien Agreste, I'm sorry Adrien, Maybe - Freeform, Nathalie tries hard, Protect Adrien Agreste, Self-Harm, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-14
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2019-08-23 15:21:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16621493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pastel_Deku/pseuds/Pastel_Deku
Summary: Adrien Agreste has practically been through hell and back. His father constantly neglects him, and he goes through life feeling worthless. When a certain blue haired girl finds out about one of her crush's darkest secrets, will she be able to help him through it before it's too late?





	1. Confession and Help

“Adrien!” Nathalie yelled, “you're going to be late for school!”

 

“C-Coming…!” Adrien yelled from his room, struggling to get dressed in record time. He hissed in pain when the cuts on his arm came in contact with the fabric of his shirt. He quickly glanced down at his arm, making sure that none of the wounds had started bleeding. Giving a sigh of relief that his arm wasn't bleeding, he proceeded to finish getting ready.

 

Adrien grabbed a black jacket, throwing it on his body. “Plagg, lets go!” He said to the sleeping Kwami. Plagg groaned softly, opening his eyes. “It's morning already…?” The black Kwami tiredly got up, snuggling himself into Adrien’s jacket pocket. The blonde-haired boy ran downstairs, grabbing his backpack as he did so.

 

Adrien ran out the door of the mansion and into the limousine waiting out front. “Sorry Nathalie,” he said, breathing somewhat heavily as he closed the door to the car, “I overslept.”

 

The secretary sighed, shaking her head slightly. “Adrien, if your father knew that you've been late two times this week…”

 

Adrien’s quickly looked up, eyes filling with fear. “Please Nathalie! Don't tell father!”

 

“You know that I don't have a choice. You're falling behind in your schoolwork, and you did not show up to a photo shoot on Tuesday.”

 

The green eyed boy opened his mouth to say something, but then decided that arguing was pointless. Sighing, he slouched in the seat, pulling his jacket sleeve over his left hand. ‘Just another wonderful day…’

 

When the secret superhero arrived at school, he jumped out of the car and sprinted to class, just making it as the bell rang. Adrien sat down next to Nino, groaning softly.

 

“Dude,” Nino whispered to Adrien, being careful not to get caught by Ms. Mendeleiev, “I thought you weren't going to make it.” “Yeah.” Adrien said, giving a weak smile.

 

Meanwhile, in the row above, Marinette was busy daydreaming about the blonde model. “Snap out of it girl!” Alya whisper-shouted at the blue-haired girl. “Huh?” Marinette said, finally snapping out of her thoughts. Alya sighed, smiling a little.

 

“I asked if you wanted to go to the park after school.”

 

“Oh um…sure! Sounds great!” Mari said, smiling sweetly. Alya gave her a thumbs-up.

 

“Alright everyone,” Ms. Mendeleiev said, looking at the students in the room, “listen up for who you'll be partnered with. I am not in the mood to repeat myself.” She started to list off the pairs.

 

Adrien was staring off into space-more like staring at his left arm. He could feel his cuts burning, slowly driving him crazy. “A-Adrien…” he heard a voice say, snapping him out of his thoughts.

 

“Hm?” He said looking up. His eyes met Marinette’s crystal blue eyes.

 

“Partnered together…we were…I-I mean…together we w-were partnered…! I…” She took a deep breath, “w-we were partnered…t-together…” Mari gave a nervous smile, giggling awkwardly. The girl mentally praised herself for being able to get through a sentence…somewhat.

 

“Oh! Cool!” Adrien said, moving over so that Mari could sit down next to him. She giggled nervously again, shakily sitting down. The lab was simple, and if they worked together, they could finish it before the class was over.

 

“D-Do you want t-to…adjust t-the microscope while I-I get t-the…supplies…?” Marinette squeaked out, her face turning a light shade of pink. “Sure.” Adrien said, flashing her his model smile. Marinette yelped softly, getting up to get the supplies.

 

As the model started adjusting the microscope, his mind started wondering back to his arm. ‘No…I can't do anything right now…I…can't…’ Adrien bit his lip, trying to distract himself.

 

“Ready…t-to test e-everything…?” Mari asked once she came back with the supplies.

 

Adrien nodded, looking away from the microscope and at the girl.

 

She smiled. “S-So…do you w-want to do the first-“ she froze, staring at Adrien’s arm.

 

Adrien was confused, until he followed her gaze to his wrist. His eyes widened, noticing that his sleeve had ridden down, revealing some of the angry red lines that crisscrossed across his arm. He quickly pulled his sleeve back up, trying to pretend that nothing happened.

 

“So…” he said, hoping that Marinette hadn't seen the wounds (or if she had, that she would forget about it and start working on the lab again), “I can do the first sample if you want me to.”

 

“Adrien…” Mari whispered, eyes widening in worry, “w-what did you…do…?” It was somewhat a stupid question, for she already knew the answer.

 

The blonde model looked away, trying to find an excuse. “Don't lie…” she said softly after a few minutes of the strained silence.

 

“…I did it to myself…”

 

The girl knew that she needed to talk to him, but not in a place where everyone could hear them. She stood up, walking over to where Ms. Mendeleiev was. “Would it be alright if Adrien and I went to the library to get a book on chemiosmosis?”

 

The teacher sighed. “Alright. But only because I trust you, Marinette.”

 

“Thank you!” Mari smiled, walking back to Adrien. The boy raised an eyebrow in question.

 

“Lets go to the library.” She said, walking towards the door.

 

Adrien sighed, knowing what was coming. He stood up, following the blue-haired girl to the library.

 

Once they were both in the library, Marinette sat down at a table next to the model.

 

The blue-eyed girl was quiet for a few seconds, before she finally got the courage to say something. “…why Adrien…w-why do you do it…?”

 

“I…” what was he supposed to say? ‘Oh, the reason that I do this to myself is that my father is abusive and sees me as business instead of his son. My mother disappeared, and no one really cares. I'm a fake. How can I be a superhero when I can't even save myself?’ The thoughts swirled through his head, Adrien unable to come up with an answer.

 

Mari waited. “If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to. Just promise me one thing…”

 

The blonde boy looked up, waiting for Marinette to finish her thought.

 

Mari took a deep breath. “Promise me that the next time you feel like you need to…hurt yourself,” she tensed slightly, hating to say the words out loud, “that you'll call me, or text me…no matter what time it is.”

 

Adrien was silent for a minute or two, then reluctantly nodded. “Alright…”

 

Mari smiled softly, trying to encourage him. “I'm here for you Adrien.”

 

He nodded, smiling somewhat forcefully. “We should get back to class. I'm pretty sure that Mendeleiev thinks we've gotten lost in here.”

 

*************************************

 

That night, it was around 10:43 pm by the time Adrien finished his homework. The 15 year old boy sat down on his bed, looking up at the ceiling.

 

“Don't do it Adrien. It isn't worth it.” Said Plagg, who was sitting on the coffee table eating a slice of Camembert. He gave the boy a expression mixed with sadness and worry.

 

“I…” Adrien stopped himself. He couldn't lie by saying that he wasn't thinking about it. He always was.

 

‘ ** _It just proves how useless you are…_** ’ the voice in his head whispered to him, ‘ ** _poor Adrien Agreste is a big fake. He's a useless piece of shit who cries because he has daddy issues._** ’

 

Adrien couldn't take it anymore. He bolted off his bed and into the bathroom, locking the door behind himself.

 

“Adrien…? Adrien!” Plagg yelled, flying over towards the door, “please! Don't do it!”

 

The blonde teenager leaned against the counter, staring at himself in the mirror. ‘ ** _You know what to do._** ’

 

He bit his lip, knowing that the only way for the voice to go away was for him to hurt himself. The secret superhero opened the drawer next to his sink, digging through it for a few minutes. His breath hitched when his fingers touched the sharp blade of the paper-thin razor. He pulled it out, glancing over it for a few seconds before he stripped his jacket off. Adrien then brought the blade down to his forearm, dragging it quickly across. The model bit his lip, the sudden sting burning for a few seconds, then subsiding. His mind went blank as he continued to drag the blade across his arm.

 

By the time he was somewhat back into reality, his arm had a total of 13 new cuts on it, most of them crisscrossing over each other. A drop of blood fell onto the floor the second before Adrien pushed a small washcloth against the wounds. He hissed in pain, biting his lip.

 

‘Hopefully it'll stop bleeding soon…’ he thought to himself, trying to avoid the fact that he was scared. Walking out of the bathroom, Adrien was immediately filled with immense guilt. Plagg was snuggled into his pillow, sniffling softly. Not only that, but he had broken his promise to Marinette.

 

“Plagg…” he said softly, tears welling up in his own eyes.

 

The Kwami looked up at him. “A-Adrien…” his voice cracked slightly as he quickly flew up to the blonde model. Plagg buried his head into the crook of Adrien’s neck, sniffling softly. Adrien gently leaned into Plagg, trying to let the Kwami know that he was alright.

 

“Y-You're not alright…! You need help Adrien!” Plagg said softly, his voice slightly muffled due to the fact that his face was buried in the teen’s neck.

 

Adrien sighed softly, looking down at the bloody washcloth pressed against his arm. Plagg was right. He did need help.

 

He looked up, eyeing his phone that was laying on the coffee table across the room. Hesitantly, he slowly walked over to it, gingerly picking the small device up.

 

Unlocking it, the blonde dialed Marinette’s number, then stopped right before he hit 'dial'.

 

‘ _What if she's disgusted with me…? What if…she decides that I'm not worth saving? Then again…I know that I'm not worth saving…_ ’ however, his thoughts were interrupted when his phone made a small beeping noise, signaling that he was now calling.

 

Adrien yelped slightly in shock, looking down at the black cat Kwami. “Stop doubting yourself and answer to the phone.” He said softly, looking up at the teen.

 

The model, who was still somewhat shocked, put the phone up to his ear, listening to the ringing sounds.

 

“Hello?” A somewhat tired voice said from the other side of the line.

 

“M-Marinette…hi…” Adrien said, cursing himself for letting his voice shake.

 

“Adrien?” All the tiredness left Marinette’s voice, her tone now filling with slight worry, “is everything alright?”

 

He hesitated for a few seconds, trying to find his voice. “I messed up…I-I thought I could…yeah…” he said after he found his voice, blinking back tears.

 

There was a pause on Marinette’s part, which made Adrien to believe that she was going to hang up. “I'll be right over.” She finally said, trying to rid her voice from sounding panicked.

 

Adrien nodded slowly, feeling numb. “Alright…” he hung up the phone, setting it back down on the coffee table.

 

‘ _Am I really worth this much concern…?_ ’

 


	2. Maybe She does Care

Adrien was laying on his bed, looking down at his arm every few seconds. He was feeling lightheaded, and didn't have the strength to check if he was still bleeding or not. The entire washcloth was practically soaked in blood, making the room faintly smell of the red liquid. 

 

‘ _How long ago did I talk to Marinette…?_ ’ He thought to himself. His thoughts were slightly jumbled together, giving him a headache. He closed his eyes slightly, trying to stay conscious.

 

“Stay awake Adrien,” Plagg said, the concern evident in his voice. The Kwami looked down at the blonde’s wrist grimacing at the amount of blood, “I know this is the last thing you want to hear, but you're gonna to have to bandage that up soon. You're losing a lot of blood.”

 

Grunting in response, the 15 year old sat up, crying out softly as he accidentally put weight on his injured arm. Just as he was about to try to stand, there was a knock on the door.

 

“Adrien?” Came Nathalie’s slightly muffled voice, “there's a girl from school here to work on a report with you.”

 

“Girl from…a-alright! Thanks Nathalie!” He heard heels clicking away from his door, sighing.

 

His door opened, a very panicked Marinette walking in his room. Immediately when she saw him, her face turned practically as white as snow. “Oh my gosh! Adrien!”

 

“H-Hey Marinette,” he said, sliding his arm behind his back, “how your night going?”

 

Mari rushed over to him, it being completely obvious that she didn't buy that he was alright for one second. “Give me your arm.” She demanded, noticing the smell of iron in the room.

 

Sighing, the model reluctantly laid his torn arm across his thighs, still keeping the cloth over the wounds.

 

The blue-haired girl gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. “Adrien…oh my gosh…” she carefully removed the bloody cloth, biting her lip when she saw the blonde flinch slightly. Cringing at the sight in front of her, Mari stood up, taking a deep breath. “Do you have a first aid kit…?” She asked.

 

“Y-Yeah,” Adrien responded, “under the bathroom sink on the left side…” The girl nodded, quickly walking towards the bathroom, looking for the kit.

 

When she left, Adrien finally decided to look down at his arm. When Marinette had pulled the cloth off, it had reopened some of his wounds, the fact being that it had started to dry to his arm. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of his mangled flesh. The cuts-more like lacerations, were deeper than he had remembered making them. ‘ _Please tell me I don't have to get stitches…_ ’ the teen started shaking with fear, biting his lip to keep the tears from falling.

 

Marinette came back a few seconds later, kneeling in front of Adrien. She set down the first aid kit next to herself, gently taking his arm in her hands. “This is going to sting.” She said softly, wiping the blood off with a wet towel.

 

Adrien yelped, jerking his arm a few times. Once Mari had finished wiping off the dry blood, she quickly went to work on bandaging his arm. Groaning in pain, the blonde tried to sit still, but found it hard to do so. “Sorry…” The girl said, trying to focus on his arm, “Adrien, these wounds are pretty deep…”

 

“I know…I just…” he took a deep breath, “please…just bandage them…” he couldn't stand the thought of having to go get stitches. Not because he was afraid of the pain, but because he was afraid of what his father would say.

 

Marinette nodded, sighing softly. She finished bandaging his wounds, the stood up, disposing of the bloody things.

 

The two teens then sat in silence, both looking at the ground.

 

After what seemed like ages, Marinette finally decided it was time to break the silence. “A-Adrien…if you don’t mind me asking…wh-what caused you to…you know…” her voice trailed off.

 

The blonde just nodded. “Something stupid really,” he started off, swallowing the lump that had gathered in his throat, “I tired Marinette…I really tried this time! But…the voices are stronger than I am. It just proves that I’m even more a liar then they think I am.”

 

The bluenette girl tilted her head, slightly confused. “Why would you be a liar?”

 

‘ _Crap! I’ve said too much!_ ’ He shook his head. “It’s nothing…! Just…thoughts.”

 

She nodded slightly, still not fully believing him. "Would it be alright if I stayed the night?”

 

His green eyes widened. "Y-You would do that...?"

 

She smiled softly. "Sure! Anything for a friend." The girl's face turned a light shade of pink.

 

For the first time in a while, Adrien smiled. And it wasn’t a fake smile, it was a genuine smile that made him both want to cry, and laugh. ' _Maybe she really does care for me..._ '


	3. Awkward Nights and Reunions

 

“Alright!” Marionette said, looking around the blonde’s room. Her eyes widened slightly at the size of it. “What do you want to do? I mean, I-I don’t think either of us are going to get much sleep tonight.”

 

Biting his bottom lip in thought, Adrien hummed softly. “I’ve got video games...? If you want to play.”

 

“Sounds great!” The sapphire eyed girl smiled, despite the fact that she was still beyond worried for him.

 

Adrien nodded, gingerly standing up and walking over to the giant flat screen TV. He turned the console on and got the game set up. It was the same one that they were going to play in the competition before Max was akumatized.

 

Marionette sat down on the couch next to the green eyed teenager, smiling and blushing lightly when he handed her a control.

 

“Let’s see who wins this time.” Marionette smirked playfully, knowing that she would most likely end up in triumph.

 

“I wouldn’t be so confident,” Adrien said, grinning mischievously, “I’ve been practicing a lot.”

 

“I’ll be the judge of that.” The bluenette said as the first battle began.

 

************************************

 

The two hidden super hero’s played the game into the early hours of the morning, eventually stopping when it was around 3 AM.

 

Yawning, Adrien looked at Marionette. “I don’t know how it’s possible! I’ve been playing that game almost every night, and you still beat me!”

 

“Ha! No one can ever beat the champion!” The 14 year old girl said proudly, twirling the control in her hand.

 

The blonde chuckled softly, leaning back on the couch. “I wish it was a Saturday. Then we could just spend the whole weekend together...”

 

Marionette’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink. “W-Well, I’m free this weekend! If you want to do something...”

 

“Really?” Adrien said, a small smile starting to grow on his features. “That would be awesome!” He paused for a second, the smile vanishing. “Wait...I have three shoots on Saturday and won’t be done until late...” ‘ _Not to mention that I’ll be on patrol for the rest of it..._ ’ he sighed, looking at the ground. “Why can’t I have a normal life like you...?”

 

“Uh...” Mari started, mentally shaking her head. “Y-Yeah...! I mean-“ she took a deep breath, then continued. “There’s no such thing as a normal life Adrien. Everyone’s life is full of abnormalities and confusion. Even mine!” She laughed nervously.

 

He sighed. “Yeah...I guess you’re right.”

 

The sapphire eyed girl let out a breath that she didn’t know she had been holding. “A-Anyways, I should check your bandages, and then we should probably try to sleep.”

 

Adrien nodded, holding his arm out to her.

 

Marionette carefully removed the bandages, her body seeming to lose some tension when she saw the wounds had stopped bleeding. She went over to the bathroom and grabbed fresh supplies, proceeding to re-wrap his injuries.

 

“Is it too tight?” She asked him softly once she finished.

 

The blonde teen flexed and moved his wrist gently, nodding. “Yeah.”

 

“Good.” She said, plopping down next to him. “I-I can sleep here...if that’s okay with you...”

 

Adrien blushed lightly, realizing that he’d never had a girl stay the night with him. “N-No...! It’s fine. You can have the bed if you want to...I-I’ll sleep here.”

 

“Are you sure...?” Marionette asked awkwardly, not really sure what to make of the situation herself.

 

“Yeah. After all, it’s not the first time I’ve fallen asleep on the couch.” He chuckled softly, trying to lighten the mood.

 

She smiled and gave a small sigh of relief. “Alright.”

 

They sat in the awkward silence for a minute or two, Adrien finally breaking the tension. “Do you need some extra clothes to sleep in...?”

 

“I-I um...sounds great clothes! I-I mean...clothes sound great!” Her blush came back darker than before as Mari giggled embarrassedly.

 

“Okay.” Adrien smiled a little, still not completely used to the bluenette’s random moments of embarrassment. He stood up, and went to his closet, grabbing a shirt and some shorts.

 

“Here.” He said softly to the sapphire eyed girl, softly handing her the clothes. “I-If you want to change in the bathroom, I can change out here...”

 

Marionette swallowed visibly, nodding her head stupidly. She stood up and went into the large bathroom, closing the doors behind herself.

 

The 15 year old male sighed and began to change into his night clothes with inhuman speed. He grabbed an extra blanket and pillow, setting himself up on the couch. Just as he finished, the bathroom door opened.

 

Marionette walked out, her arms crossed over her chest self consciously. The two teenagers looked at each other for a brief moment, looking away out of embarrassment.

 

“I-If you want, I can change the sheets on the bed for you...”

 

“N-No...it’s fine...” She walked over to the bed, cautiously getting in under the covers.

 

Adrien bit his lip, settling himself on the couch. “Well...night...” he said somewhat awkwardly.

 

“Y-You too...!” Marionette said a few seconds later, shifting in the bed.

 

As the two began to fall into a fitful sleep, Plagg cautiously made his way out from the closet. He flew over to Marionette, looking the girl over. “Hopefully you’ll be able to save my kitten...”

 

“Plagg?” Came a small voice from the bag Marionette had on the floor.

 

The Kwami spun around, quickly looking at the bag. “Who’s there?”

 

A small red Kwami emerged from the purse, eyes widening with happiness. “Plagg!”

 

“Tikki!” Plagg said happily, hugging the ladybug Kwami tightly. “It’s been so long!”

 

“I’ve missed you so much!” She cried.

 

After they finished their embrace, they both took a deep breath and looked each other over.

 

“Is Marionette really the next ladybug?” Plagg asked Tikki, the two of them moving out of earshot.

 

“She is.” Tikki said proudly. “And she’s doing great.” Plagg grinned, showing his small fangs.

 

“How about you? I take it that Adrien is your new Chat.”

 

“He is.” Plagg said, smiling. “He’s amazing at what he does but...” his smile quickly faded, “I'm worried about him, Tik. You’ve seen what’s been happening to him, right?”

 

Tikki nodded her head sadly.

 

“I-I just don’t know what I’ll do if I lose him...I can’t lose another Kitten...I just can’t.” The black cat Kwami sniffled sadly, his ears dropping.

 

Tikki hugged him reassuringly. “It’ll be okay Plagg. I know that things seem bleak at the moment, but if anyone can help him overcome himself it’s Marionette.”

 

The cat nodded half-heartedly, not really sure what to believe anymore.

 

“If you want, I can tell Ladybug to keep a special eye on her Chat, even though they won’t know who they are under the masks.” The ladybug Kwami suggested.

 

“I’d like that.”

 

“Great!” Tikki smiled softly. “In the mean time,” she flew over to the railing and sat on it, motioning for Plagg to come over. “Tell me what else has been going on with you.”


	4. Patrols and Kwami Conversations

 

The model blinked furiously for at least the hundredth time in class, attempting to force himself to stay awake. After his adventure with Marinette last night (and having to spend a bit of time sneaking her out of the house without Nathalie seeing in the morning), he was completely void of any energy. Every once in a while he could hear a quiet yawn coming from behind him and knew it was the blue haired girl without having to turn around.

 

As grateful as Adrien was to Mari, he couldn’t help the enormous amount of guilt that was bubbling in his chest for her being so worried about him. And of course to make the matter worse, his arm was burning horribly. Marinette had cleaned and re-bandaged his arm right before she had left, but that didn’t seem to help anything in Adrien’s opinion.

 

The only relief he felt was the fact that Hawkmoth hadn’t created any new Akumas lately - he would thank the villain if he could. Despite that though, he sill had patrol with Ladybug that night. Adrien wanted to focus on the positive side of things, he really did, but his mind constantly stopped him from doing so.

 

Finally what seemed like ages later, the bell rang signaling it was time for lunch. He and Nino stood up, heading to their normal spot.

 

“Hey man, you okay? You look even more brain dead than you did yesterday.” The dark skinned boy asked half jokingly, giving his friend a teasing smile.

 

“Just low on sleep. I’ve been too focused on this book report lately.” It wasn’t a complete lie, but then again, it wasn’t exactly the truth either. He gave Nino what he hoped was a reassuring smile and subconsciously pulled his jacket sleeve over his hand.

 

Nino sighed almost over-dramatically. “That book report has been destroying everyone. I’ll be surprised if any of us still have any brain cells left after this.” He continued his rant as they both sat down next to Mari and Alya.

 

“What are you talking about?” Alya asked, raising an eyebrow at Nino in curiosity.

 

“The book report.” Nino and Adrien said in unison.

 

Alya sighed. “That really is the worst...” She and Nino proceeded to somewhat go off into their own conversation as Marinette and Adrien silently looked at each other.

 

“H-How are you...you know...” The blue eyed girl whispered as she leaned close to Adrien a little.

 

He shrugged in response, casting his gaze at his arm. “Alright at the moment...”

 

She nodded and smiled softly, “that’s good. Let me know if anything changes.”

 

They both went back into their awkward silence as the blonde struggled to find something else to talk about. “A-About last night...I really can’t thank you enough for what you did...” Adrien kept staring at the table, unable to meet her eyes as he muttered the words.

 

“It’s alright. I’d do anything for a friend, and I know you’d do the same if it was someone else.” Marinette said nonchalantly, but as he looked up at her eyes he could tell she meant it more than she made it sound - probably because she didn’t want to draw too much attention to them.

 

They smiled at each other before joining in on the conversation about the dreaded book report, both momentarily forgetting about their worries as they joked around with their friends.

 

****************************

 

By the time Adrien had finally made it back to his home, he was surprised that he hadn’t passed out from exhaustion in the middle of the hallway. Since he had finished most of his homework during his free time, he decided to get some fresh air out on the city and start patrol early.

 

“Do we have to?” Plagg whined as he shoved another slice of Camembert into his small mouth, giving The model a look like he had just grown two extra heads.

 

“It’ll be fun! Besides, Hawkmoth hasn’t been up to much lately and so I haven’t gotten a chance to get outside in a while.” Somewhere in the back of his mind Adrien wondered why he was arguing with the Kwami when he could simply transform anyways, but he continued to ignore common sense.

 

Plagg grumbled and rolled his eyes. “But what if there is an Akuma attack? You aren’t really in the best of shape to be fighting some weirdo today, kid.”

 

“Yeah, but...” The blonde bit his lip at the thought.

 

“You know I’m right. If anything bad happens to that arm of yours, it could be game over for both of us.”

 

Adrien huffed quietly and sat down on his bed, looking to the floor in thought.

 

The Black Cat Kwami cast him a sad glance, not really sure anything he could say at the moment would make the kid feel even an ounce better. “Sorry, Adrien...”

 

“No, you’re right. I know that I messed up really bad this time...” He laid back and stared at the ceiling, gently pulling up his sleeve to look at the bandages.

 

“I can’t believe that Marinette actually wants to help me...”

 

Plagg sighed and flew over to him with a piece of Camembert, plopping down next to Adrien’s head. “Why is that so hard to believe?”

 

“I don’t know. I mean, I guess I didn’t really believe her the first time she said that she would be there for me no matter what happened...” The model smiled a little bit to himself, “it sounds kind of stupid out loud now that I think about it. Marinette is so sweet, she really would do anything for a friend. “

 

‘ _And that’s why she’s Ladybug_.’ Plagg hummed to himself in thought, shoving the next piece of Cheese into his mouth. “Makes sense...”

 

The green eyed teen wrinkled his nose a little at the smell as he sat up. “Why do you always have to eat that so close to my face?”

 

“Because it’s amazing.” Plagg shrugged in his nasally tone as he moved to Adrien’s knee.

 

The blonde smiled a little and rolled his eyes playfully. “Alright, enough snack time. I actually need to go on patrol now. Plagg, claws out!”

 

Plagg made a sound of protest as he was sucked into the ring, transforming the teen into Chat Noir.

 

Chat smiled and quickly maneuvered himself out of his room and into the open air, using his Baton to move further into the city of Paris.

 

“I wonder when Ladybug will show up...” He mumbles to himself, landing on a roof to take a minute and look around.

 

After about another five minutes, Ladybug finally managed to meet up with him.

 

“Hey Kitty! Sorry it took so long, I had some things to take care of.” She gave him a smile, but still looked weary.

 

“It’s not a problem M’Lady. Everything out here seems to be just fine, once again.”

 

She nodded and sighed a bit, taking a seat next to him on the roof. “I know that should make me feel better, but it doesn’t.”

 

“What do you mean?” Chat furrowed his eyebrows in curiousness as he looked at her.

 

“Well normally when things are quiet for superheroes it either means good news, or bad news. I’m leaning more towards the bad news and guessing that Hawkmoth is probably planning something big.”

 

The Black Cat mentally facepalmed, wondering how he didn’t see that. “That makes sense...”

 

The blue eyed girl nodded and sighed once again, seeming to be deep in thought.

 

“Something on your mind, purrincess?” He smiled, trying to lighten the mood that was around them.

 

“Don’t call me that, and yeah, I guess you could say so.” Ladybug smiled a little back at him. “I wish I could tell you, Kitty, but I can’t because we still can’t know anything about each other’s personal life.”

 

He nodded and looked out at the city, watching the sunset. “Wouldn’t it be funny if we really did know each other?”

 

“I really doubt that, but you never know.” She knew he was joking, completely pushing the thought aside as she stood up. “We do have to finish patrol though.”

 

Chat Noir groaned a little, standing up with a small wince as he put pressure back onto his bad arm. “Which route do you wanna take tonight?”

 

************************************

 

As soon as Marinette had gotten into her room, she flopped down on the middle of the floor and sighed.

 

“These late nights really aren’t good for you, Marinette.” The Ladybug Kwami said to her with a concerned expression.

 

“I know, Tikki. But I’m not normally super tired, and besides, last night Adrien really needed me.”

 

Tikki nodded and grabbed a cookie from Mari’s bag, taking a few nibbles from it. “I’m just worried what will happen if this situation worsens.” She set the cookie down and looked back to the blue haired girl. “I know you like Adrien a lot, but you also have to be prepared to do something drastic if you can’t help him.”

 

The secret superhero swallowed hard as she felt tears almost come to her eyes at the thought of not being able to help the model, but maintained her composure. “I-I know...”

 

The Ladybug Kwami nodded and returned to her cookie, letting the silence fill the room.

 

“But I’m not going to give up on him easily...he did tell me after all, so maybe he’s improving...?”

 

“Maybe. But you also have to remember to do what’s best for yourself too. It’s unhealthy if you start letting Adrien’s problems become your main focus in life.”

 

Marinette nodded and stood up, making quick work to get ready for bed. “You’re right.”


	5. The People You least expect Care the Most

 

Nathalie knew something was off. Every time that she would look at Adrien he just seemed...faded. She knew that his eyes had lost some of their shine when his mother first passed, but since then it seems to have only gotten worse.

 

She was standing next to him as he ate, checking over some of Gabriel's appointments while glancing down at the teen every once in a while. Her eyebrows furrowed in further concern as Adrien mainly pushed the food around his plate, taking only a few bites. Now that she was looking at him closer, Nathalie noticed how frail and anemic the blonde looked - though it could have been the lighting.

 

After a few more agonizing minutes for Adrien, knowing he was under his father's assistant's gaze, he stood up and quietly excused himself as he headed up to his room.

 

Nathalie says nothing as she watches him go, grip tightening on the tablet she held in her hands.

 

Meanwhile, Adrien was pacing around his room with his phone in hand as he read over the recent text he had gotten. It was from Chloé, inviting the entire class over to the hotel for a pool party - must have been another one of her attempts to be nicer to people.

 

He smiles a little at the thought, but also tried to swallow the lump in his throat from the distressful idea of having to wear swim trunks. The blonde knew that he had other wardrobe options, but most of them were obnoxious and probably somewhat suspicious if any of his friends thought about it too much.

 

Adrien sighs and tosses his phone onto his bed, which gave his Kwami a chance to peek at the invite.

 

"Wow, that's gonna end horribly." Plagg stated, looking up to the green eyed teen with a bit of sympathy.

 

"I'll say..." Adrien mumbles as he runs a hand through his hair for probably the millionth time in the last five minutes, "I don't have to go of course, but if I don't, Chloé might cancel because she'll be expecting me..."

 

Plagg snorts a little and flys over to his Miraculous holder, "I still can't believe that Ladybug gave her the Bee Miraculous."

 

"Well she didn't mean to at first...but yeah. I'm just glad it all worked out."

 

Plagg sighs and goes over to his Camembert stash to grab a piece. "Y'know that you don't have to swim, right?"

 

The teen gave the Kwami a look like he had grown an extra head. "Have you ever been to a pool party, Plagg? It's in the name what you're supposed to do!"

 

The Black Cat Kwami simply shrugs in response. "You could always text that Marinette girl if she has any ideas..."

 

Adrien bites his cheek and nods a little, going over to retrieve his phone.

 

***********

 

"Can you believe it Alya? Chloé is having another party!" The bluenette complains to her friend on the phone as she buries her face into her pillow, glancing up a few seconds later to hear her friend's response.

 

Alya rolls her eyes from the other side of the camera and sighs. "Honestly, this is like the third one this month!" With that, Marinette buries her face back into the pillow.

 

"I mean, at least she's doing okay as a super hero and that she's actually putting others before herself for once..."

 

The hazel-eyed girl nods a little and sighs. "Yeah, you're right..."

 

Marinette continues to keep her face buried in the pillow until she hears her phone ding. She glances up half heartedly, but bolts up when she sees that the text was from Adrien.

 

"Woah, girl! Did a spider land on you or something?" Alya jokes as she watches her friend's jerky movements.

 

"I uh...text Adrien from! I-I mean, I got a text from Adrien..." She mumbles, feeling her cheeks heat up from embarrassment that she had managed to stutter once again.

 

Alya's eyes widened, "Since when do you two text?"

 

Marinette didn't answer as she picks up her phone. "I gotta go! I'll tell you everything at school on Monday...or Chloé's party...bye!"

 

She quickly hung up when Alya was mid-sentence, knowing somewhere in the back of her head that she would probably regret that and dialed Adrien's number.

 

She bit her lip as it ringed, but soon relaxed when she heard his voice after the fourth ring. "Hi Adrien!"

 

"Hey Marinette...are you going to Chloé's party?" He asks somewhat awkwardly, clearly struggling on how to start the conversation.

 

"Umm..yeah! Just saw the invite actually." She mentally face-palms, realizing that she would have to go now no matter what.

 

Adrien bites his bottom lip as he attempts to word things right. "Knowing Chloé, she's expecting me to go. Any other kind of party would be fine...but..." the words caught in the teen's throat as the realization of just how anxious he was finally settled in his mind.

 

Mari went quiet as well as she remembered. "Oh..."

 

"I just..." He takes a deep breath before continuing, "I'm not sure what to do, and since you're a designer I thought you might have some ideas..."

 

The bluenette says nothing as she furrows her eyebrows in thought. "I'm not fully sure what to do myself..."

 

Adrien sighs and leans against the wall, suddenly feeling extremely guilty. "Sorry for being a burden...I don't deserve a friend like you, Marinette..."

 

"You're not a burden, Adrien. It's good that you're reaching out for help..." The blue eyed girl says softly, trying to keep her voice study at how much his words made her sad.

 

"Yeah...help..." the blonde bit his lip again and glances over to his bathroom as he suddenly craved to dig the blade into his arm. Plagg flew over to him and gently taps Adrien's free arm, shaking his head silently when the male looked down at him.

 

"I'm sorry I couldn't be much help..." Mari sighs while still racking her brain for ideas, "I could call you if I come up with anything..."

 

Adrien nods and sighs, "sounds good, thanks..."

 

The two secret superheroes said goodbye and hung up the phone, the blonde glancing back to his Kwami. "I don't suppose you have anymore ideas?"

 

Plagg shook his head, "I already told you all of mine...which you shot down."

 

"Sorry..." He mumbles softly as he shrugs his jacket off to look at the bandages still covering his arm.

 

"Hey, Plagg?"

 

The cat hums and glances up to his miraculous holder.

 

"What if I can't hide these when they heal...? I can't exactly have them showing during photo shoots, and father would probably be furious..."

 

Plagg sighs and nuzzles the Teen's neck. "We'll just have to see how they heal..."

 

Adrien swallows the lump in his throat, looking down at his phone. "We should head downstairs...I have to leave for fencing soon..." He sluggishly makes his way downstairs, grabbing an apple from the kitchen first before leaning against the counter.

 

The Kwami yawns tiredly and makes his way into Adrien's jacket, but grumbled in complaint when he realizes that the blonde's phone took up most of the room. He simply takes it out and places it on the counter - clearly expecting Adrien to see it - before going back into the pocket with a satisfied hum.

 

"The cars out front waiting for you."

 

Adrien jumped out of his thoughts and looks up at Nathalie, clearly startled. "O-Oh, thanks..." He takes another bite of his apple before making his way towards the front doors.

 

The woman gives a curt nod and watches him go before hearing a faint buzzing from behind her.

 

Nathalie turns around and sighs when she sees Adrien's phone buzzing. "Guess he'll have to do without it..." she mumbles to herself as she picks up the small device and heads towards the stairs to put it in his room. It vibrates in her hand again and she absentmindedly glances at the lit screen.

 

**Marinette: I might have found a solution to hiding...the marks at the party**

 

Nathalie's eyes widened a bit as she stops in the hallway, reading the text over more clearly. Marks? What marks was the girl referring to? Was Adrien hurt? A few different questions went through her mind as worry got the better of her. The assistant unlocks the phone and opens the message, reading through the past ones between the teen and his friend.

 

The woman silently placed a hand over her mouth as she read through a few of them, the voice in the back of her head that was telling her to stop had gone quiet as immense worry replaced it instead.

 

Nathalie quickly shuts the blonde's phone off, still processing the things she had just seen. How long had Adrien been hurting himself? Was he suicidal? Even more questions ran through her head than before as she pulled her glasses off with a shaky hand and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

 

' _Should I talk to him about it...? No...it would only put him further on the edge..._ ' She thought to herself. The woman had dealt with something like this before when she was in school, but never knew how to handle it well. 'I'll just keep a close eye on him. I'll make sure to check in on how he's doing...'

 

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Nathalie felt guilt building up over the fact that she hadn't noticed the signs at first. She had known that ever since Emilie had passed Adrien had been going through some obvious depression, but Nathalie never imagined that it would escalate this far.

 

' _Who knows how Gabriel would react as well..._ ' The pale-blue eyed woman thought to herself.

 

She knew that he clearly wouldn't take it well and push Adrien away further in the process of blaming himself - which the teen clearly didn't need at all.

 

She shakes her head and places the green-eyed teen's phone down on his coffee table once she enters his room.

 

' _I just hope he'll be alright..._ '


End file.
